16 Facts About Kerstin Hesselgren

Kerstin Hesselgren was elected by suggestion of the Liberals with support from the Social democrats.

Kerstin Hesselgren was educated by a governess at home and then at a girl school in Switzerland.

Kerstin Hesselgren worked as a sanitary-inspector in Stockholm from 1912 to 1934 and school kitchen inspector from 1909 to 1934.

Kerstin Hesselgren had originally wished to be a physician, but her weak constitution had made her unfit for this profession.

Kerstin Hesselgren did manage to introduce improvements, which made her respected in political circles.

Kerstin Hesselgren was chairperson of the Swedish School Teachers Society from 1906 to 1913.

Kerstin Hesselgren was management director of the Women's Work Environment Inspection from 1913 to 1934, and was one of the founders of the magazine Tidevarvet which was launched in 1923.

In July 1925, Kerstin Hesselgren attended and spoke at the First International Conference of Women in Science, Industry and Commerce held in London, organised by Caroline Haslett and the British Women's Engineering Society.

Kerstin Hesselgren was given the Illis Quorum award in 1918, and in 1921 she became one of the five first women to be elected to the Swedish Parliament after the introduction of women's suffrage alongside Nelly Thuring, Agda Ostlund Elisabeth Tamm and Bertha Wellin in the Lower Chamber.

Kerstin Hesselgren was alone in the Upper Chamber and thereby became the first woman there.

Kerstin Hesselgren was a liberal from 1922 to 1923 and from 1937 to 1944 and Independent from 1923 to 1937.

Kerstin Hesselgren was Vice Chairman of the second legislation committee of the parliament from 1939 to 1944, and in this capacity the first of her gender in Sweden.

Kerstin Hesselgren, being the first of her gender in parliament, regarded herself to be the spokesperson of women in the Upper Chamber.

Kerstin Hesselgren successfully intervened in the case of cartographer Olga Herlin who had been denied a state pension despite 37 years of service as Sweden's first female engraver.

Kerstin Hesselgren was well known and received a lot of attention for these issues.

The University of Gothenburg established the Kerstin Hesselgren Visiting Professorship in her memory.